I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have another chat with writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, about time, destructor puppies, Wonder Woman Historia, Greek gods, re-framing myths, good brains, process, Lois Lane, pigeon milk crossing, Captain Marvel parking, and fragrant destruction.
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Sometimes, it seems like Disney has a toybox that is positively overflowing with properties, which becomes abundantly and delightfully clear when two actual toys – well, high-end collectibles (SUPER-TOYS!) arrive hot on the heels of each other, each representing a circle in the Venn diagram of the company’s IP. Not only do these two figures come from powerhouse franchises Marvel & Star Wars, but Hot Toys has delivered them in the form of two of the best figures they’ve ever produced.
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Doctor Strange (Sideshow, $234.99), as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. From the exquisitely tailored reproduction of the film’s ridiculously intricate costume to the eerily lifelike head sculpt and paint-ops, this is magical realization as befitting Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. In addition to numerous hands (including a few in spell-casting gestures, but sadly non in his more comics-accurate gloved form, as seen in the mid-credit sequence), you get his sling ring, two versions of the Eye Of Aggamoto (open & closed), and numerous spell attachments. This is a truly spectacular figure.
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Not to be outshone by Stephen Strange, we transition from the mystical to the mechanical for the breakout star of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, K-2SO (Sideshow, $229.99 SRP). I love me some robots, and the endearingly acerbic K-2SO immediately earned himself a place in my heart. The deceptively simple sculpt is a perfect scaled reproduction, and the engineering of the figure delivers a surprising range of movement and poseability. While he’s light on accessories (just a blaster and a grenade), the light he does get – adjustable light-up LED eyes – certainly makes up for it. And now, he can team up with Dr. Strange because, I don’t know, multiverse and dimensions and magic, or something. You figure it out.
It was inevitable that there were dark days ahead for its protagonists, but the third season of Star Wars: Rebels (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$45.99 SRP) is when we finally get a sense that many of these characters would not have a particularly happy ending in their future, as the Empire closes in and we approach the show’s junction with Rogue One. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
Ten years in the making, Ken Burns & Lynn Novick’s 18-hour documentary treatise onThe Vietnam War (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP) is every bit as comprehensive and compelling as you’d expect from the documentary duo. It truly is a gripping, often harrowing account of a dark period in American history. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette and additional content.
While bootlegs and original vinyl rips have been floating around the internet for ages, I am giddy beyond measure that we finally have a fully remastered, expanded release of the songs and score to Robert Altman’s unjustly overlooked Popeye (Varese Sarabande, $12.99 SRP). Not only does it contain all of Harry Nilsson’s songs, but a bonus of all of his demos, including songs cut from the film.
Granted, the Zach Snyder DC superhero films have set the bar ridiculously low, but for all its faults (and there are plenty of faults), director Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) succeeds in being a bright, colorful, and just plain enjoyable film that is unashamed to be unabashedly heroic. It’s a start. Bonus materials include an epilogue, featurettes, extended scenes, bloopers, and more.
And while we’re talking Diana, I can’t recommend enough the PVC statuette of Wonder Woman from Diamond Select Toys ($45.00 SRP). Based on her Bruce Timm-designed appearance in the [Justice League] animated series, it’s maquette quality sculpting at a ridiculously accessible price. All indications is that Diamond is going to continue this line, with an animated Flash on its way soon, and I hope the line dive even deeper, because it’s sterling stuff.
I love it when a book comes out and exhaustively explores a topic that has been oft-overlooked and profoundly underappreciated, and both can certainly be ascribed to the unsung artists chronicled in the exhaustive and engaging Ink & Paint: The Women Of Walt Disney’s Animation (Disney Editions, $60 SRP), which examines the roles women filled in the Disney studio from its inception to the modern age.
The cycle of release and re-release is the economic circle of life that Disney has seared in our collective consumer brains for generations, so it should come as no surprise that they’ve released a brand new edition of The Lion King (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) in their resent “Signature Collection”, which augments previous releases with new footage from the recording sessions, archival footage from the story room, an artistic view of the villain Scar, and a sing-along version of the film.
I admit that I had zero expectations for Kong: Skull Island (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), but damned if it didn’t turn out to be a fun-filled rollercoaster ride with definite style and a cast of character actors that made the whole thing pop. I’m not really concerned where this cinematic universe goes from here, but this was a great little film. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
You’d think that every nook and cranny of Walt Disney’s history and legacy would have been covered by now, but then along comes a book like Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World Of Disney Food (Disney Editions, $35.00 SRP)which details the cuisine that influenced Walt and what was served at the studio and Disneyland during his lifetime. Packed with vintage menus and scads of rare photos, it’s a feast for Disney fans.
Featuring 16 episodes from across its 11 seasons, The Best Of The Carol Burnett Show (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) is a 6-disc set collecting the best of the best, complete uncut, including the 2-hour series finale. Packed with guest stars and newly-produced bonus featurettes and bloopers, it’s a great one-stop set.
And while we’re talking Burnett’s show, while most of the attention went to the always flashy Tim Conway, I think I liked the man he so often tried to crack up more – and who finally gets his proper spotlight with The Carol Burnett Show: The Best Of Harvey Korman (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP). The disc features 4 episodes of prime Korman.
As someone who revels in the ability to peek behind the creative curtain, I loved diving into They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Late Golden Age – The 1940s Part Two (Chronicle Books, $45.00 SRP). The third volume in what I hope continues to be an ongoing series, it deep dives into the Disney archives to unearth and present the artwork drawn by studio artists that served as inspiration for Disney’s iconic films and shorts.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary with a collection of 40 short stories seemed like a fun and interesting way to mark the occasion, and Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View (Del Rey, $35.00 SRP) delivers on that promise, focusing on characters central, side, and obscure and written by luminaries like Paul Dini, Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Wil Wheaton, Gary Whitta, and more.
Geared towards ages 10-and-up, the second volume of Ben Acker & Ben Blacker’s Star Wars: Join The Resistance series, Escape From Vodran (Lucasfilm Press, $12.99 SRP) manages the same tricky feat of the first volume, which is to craft a tale that manages to be an entertaining read for both kids and adults.
In the lead-up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there are quite a few stories being released to fill in some of the canon. Claudia Gray’s novel Leia: Princess Of Alderaan (Lucasfilm Press, $17.99) follows a 16-year-old Leia as she prepares herself for a life in service to her homeworld and confronts a difficult choice regarding her future.
I’ve made it quite clear that I’m a sucker for “Art Of” books, and I would expect Steven Universe: Art & Origins (Abrams, $29.95 SRP) to be every bit as quirky and endearing as the show itself. To my un-surprised delight, it is, and is the perfect companion for fans of the show, chronicling not only its development, but also jam-packed with illustrations.
I remember enjoying watching the show every evening after it made its debut on Nick At Nite, and now I’m just as delighted to be able to watch the glorious comedy time capsule that is Rowan And Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete First Season (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), totally uncut for the first time since its original late-60s airing. Bonus features include bloopers, 25th anniversary cast reunion highlights, an interview with creator George Schlatter, and the original pilot.
Both Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron are capable of making funny movies. Some, even unintentionally funny – but funny nonetheless. I don’t know how a meta nostalgia pic like Baywatch (Paramount, Unrated, 4K-$39.95 SRP) manages to be a largely unfunny affair, despite its best efforts. It’s a shame, really, because I was hoping for another 21 Jump Street surprise. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.
Like a long-lost child finally coming home, Mickey’s older sibling was returned back to the Disney company (thanks to some corporate horse trading) and is celebrated in the gorgeous Oswald The Lucky Rabbit: The Search For The Lost Disney Cartoons (Disney Editions, $40.00 SRP). This book provides not only a history of the character, but also extant images and information on cartoons thought missing.
The time capsule aspect of the uncut shows released within the ongoing The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$47.99 SRP) is what makes this series, which has been supplemented by a new 6-disc set, so incredibly appealing, with guests like Jack Benny, Dom DeLuise, Burt Reynolds, Paul McCartney, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, and more. Here’s hoping there are more of these lined up. And if that weren’t enough Carson – trust me, there’s never enough Carson – they’re also releasing the 10-DVD The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Johnny And Friends (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$79.68 SRP) features 28 uncut episodes with even more iconic guests, plus a plethora of bonus goodies.
After the explosive debut of its first season, Daredevil: The Complete Second Season (Marvel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) stumbles a bit with a split narrative and a lackluster villain in The Hand, but redeems itself with a largely electrifying Elektra and the welcome return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. The real gem, though, is the first season of Jessica Jones (Marvel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which is positively revelatory with a strong lead in Krysten Ritter and a powerful villain turn from David Tennant. Sadly, neither of these releases gets a single bonus feature, which is a real shame.
While their theatrical wing flounders from misstep to misfire (save for the glorious exception that is Wonder Woman), the television series based around the superheroics of the DC universe stable are a rather reliable bright spot. With their new seasons on the horizon, catch up on the complete third season of The Flash (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP), the second season of Supergirl (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP), and the complete third season of Gotham (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP). Bonus materials include featurettes, audio commentary, gag reels, and deleted scenes.
For the first time since 1929, the complete, original 10-reel edition of the landmark film The Lost World (Flicker Alley, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) – utilizing Willis O’Brien’s groundbreaking animation that would soon become immortalized in King Kong – has been found, restored, and made available to the public in a beautiful high definition Blu-Ray release, featuring an audio commentary, deleted scenes, additional shorts, and more.
Guy Ritchie tackling the King Arthur legends? Sure, I’ll watch it. King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is ultimately disposable and largely forgettable, but while you’re on the ride, it’s enjoyable bombast anchored by a mostly-there Charlie Hunnam. Bonus materials include a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
While the show as we loved it has now fallen, you can re-live the good times with The Great British Baking Show: Season 4 (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$13.99 SRP), in which Mary Berry and Mel & Sue are still pretending to like Paul Hollywood.
As a Disney fan who still holds a dear place in my heart for films like Mary Poppins and the songs of Disneyland, it’s delightful to watch a documentary featuring one half of the sibling duo responsible for that music, Richard M. Sherman: Songs Of A Lifetime (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Bonus materials include an additional interview and behind-the-scenes photos.
The 90s Nickelodeon nostalgia train has pulled into the station with another catalogue dive to delight the now-adult fans of that era – The Secret World Of Alex Mack: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which contains all 78 episodes.
While there’s a strong visual flair that’s evocative of the Wachowskis and Ridley Scott, the chief problem with Ghost In The Shell (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$48.99 SRP) is that it’s just boring. Unrelentingly, forgettably boring. I’m not even sure I can pinpoint just why it’s so boring. The story? The direction> Even Scarlett Johansson seems bored. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes.
When it comes to cult classic comedies, near the top of the list must surely come Bobcat Goldthwait’s alcoholic harlequin masterpiece Shakes The Clown (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP), which is making its high-def debut with a brand-new audio commentary from Bobcat and stars Tom Kenny and Julie Brown.
If there’s one element I dearly wish were present for the new animated film set in the Batman: The Animated Series universe, Batman And Harley Quinn (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$17.96 SRP), it’s writer Paul Dini, because the painfully awkward story found here is something that could have been avoided with a defter, more mature hand. What we have instead is a rather superficial, juvenile take on presenting “mature” material that comes across as largely tone deaf, especially for poor Harley. Bonus materials include featurettes and a sneak peek at Batman: Gotham By Gaslight.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Because every major character that ever graced a frame of a Marvel film will eventually make its way into eerily lifelike form from the soul-capturing wizards of Hot Toys, they’ve turned their spotlight on the War Machine (Sideshow Collectibles, $339.99) version of Tony Stark’s bestie James Rhodes, as seen in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. This incredible figure is also part of Hot Toys’ line of diecast figures, which incorporates metal parts into the figure, making an already impressive figural representation that much more wowza. And how great is it that we get an alternate head sculpt with a Don Cheadle portrait?
Slowly but surely, the high definition releases of Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.97 SRP) are catching up with the currently airing episodes, as the complete fifth season arrives looking and sounding pretty snazzy. In addition to all 52 episodes, bonus materials include animatics, a featurette, and a special snail hunt.
Walt Disney Records tip-top Legacy Collection continues to roll along with the release of Randy Newman’s score and songs from Toy Story (Disney Records, $14.99 SRP). The real treat, however, is the bonus disc containing Newman’s original song demos, including a couple of tunes that doesn’t make it into the film.
It’s a long, long dry spell until the next season starts, so fill that time with a roll down memory lane with the 2-disc Doctor Who: The Daleks set (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which collects the Dalek-centric episodes from across Nu-Who, as well as the Tom Baker 4th Doctor story “Genesis Of The Daleks” and a brand new documentary on the extermination-happy mutants.
In what I can only hope is a precedent they expand upon, the purveyors of preservation at Criterion have released a high definition special edition of producer Franics Ford Coppola’s underrated children’s classic The Black Stallion (Criterion, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP). Bonus materials include 5 short films, interviews, a trailer, and more.
Season 7 of Robot Chicken (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) hits with a 2-disc set positively jam-packed with bonus features, including audio commentaries, featurettes, cut sketches, and a bonus Christmas episode (with bonus commentary). Bonus!
Bruce Timm returns to the animated DC universe with a far darker alternate universe take on the familiar triumvirate of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in Justice League: Gods And Monsters (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), as the trio serves a harsh kind of justice to keep their world in check until a government task force investigating a mystery arrives at their door. Bonus materials include featurettes, bonus cartoons, and more.
After being run out of the city by an invasion of the Krang, our half-shell heroes take back the town in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return To NYC! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The depressingly standard definition single-disc release contains 6 episodes, plus 7 “Mutation Of A Scene” shorts.
It’s Office Space in hell, but the chief reason to recommend the first season of Adult Swim’s Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is that it has the good sense to cast Dana Snyder in a supporting role. Good taste like that should be rewarded. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, screen tests, promos, the original short, and featurettes.
Who doesn’t love a brilliant and incredibly beautiful BBC nature documentary? Both of those adjectives certainly apply to both Planet Ant (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which delves into the tiny world of the titular insect, and Shark (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), a look at the iconic apex predatory of the deep.
I thought the film was certainly an improvement over the original trilogy of awful X-Men films, which is not much of an accomplishment, so I was more curious than excited to see what director Bryan Singer had in mind for his X-Men: Days Of Future Past – The Rogue Cut (Fox, Not Rated, Bluy-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which offers up an extended edit of the film, as well as over 90 minutes of new bonus features.
I can’t quite figure out who the more cartoonish characters are in Scooby-Doo And Kiss: Rock And Roll Mystery (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), in which Mystery Inc. teams up with Schlock Incorporated to solve a mystery in the Kiss World Theme park. Bonus materials include bloopers and cartoons.
Nicholas Sparks works his soft focus, mealy-hearted magic again with The Longest Ride (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), in which a former champion bull rider attempting a comeback (Scott Eastwood) crosses paths with a college student and are inspired to be insipid together.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
While DC Comics seems insistent on saddling their legendary superheroes with godawful redesign after godawful redesign, the fine folks at Sideshow continue to prove themselves exceptionally adept at presenting truly iconic versions of these characters in fine collectible form. The latest bit of awe comes in the premium format form of the Amazonian warrior herself, Wonder Woman ($399.99). Standing over 18″ tall atop a massive base, the sculpt is the quintessence of Diana, right down to the supremely confident pose. A truly wonderful piece.
It’s impossible – Impossible, I say! – that John Hughes’s The Breakfast Club (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) is celebrating its 30th anniversary. But, if it insists on making me feel so old, at least it’s doing so by getting a newly-remastered re-release, featuring a 12-part documentary, an audio commentary with Anthony Michael Hall & Judd Nelson, a trivia track, and a featurette on the legendary Brat Pack.
Following the Krang’s takeover of New York City, the Turtles take refuge in April O’Neill’s family cabin in the woods in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Retreat! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which collects the first 7 episodes of the show’s third season, plus seven “The Mutation Of A Scene” shorts”.
Shazam! Taking an Andy Griffith Show fan-favorite character and putting him in the military proved comic gold in the long-running spin-off Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), starring Jim Nabors as the titular grunt and perpetual thorn in the side of the anger-prone and easily flustered Sergeant Carter. And now you can golly up to the complete 5 season run, plus audio commentaries, audio intros from Nabors, the backdoor pilot episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Nabors on The David Frost Show, and clips from The Lucy Show and The Jim Nabors Hour.
The epic arc of Avatar Korra comes to an end in The Legend Of Korra Book Four: Balance (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.98 SRP), as she faces her greatest challenge in order to save the world, with surprising results. Bonus materials include 9 audio commentaries, a featurette, and the New York Comic-Con panel.
The passing of Robin Williams adds a poignancy to Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), in what already feels to very much be constructed as the last outing in the franchise. As with the previous films, it’s a light, goofy, affable if slight affair, mainly buoyed by the larger-than-life character acting from the supporting roles, of which Williams’s Teddy Roosevelt is front and center. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted/extended scenes.
The modern stone age family meets the modern stone age pastime in The Flintstones And WWE: Stone Age Smackdown (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), an original movie which finds Fred & Barney facing all of somebody’s favorite wrestling stars. Bonus materials featurettes and a pair of bonus cartoons.
They’re not my cup of pixie dust, but I know plenty of my friends’ kids adore the denizens of Pixie Hollow, and for them, there’s delight in the arrival of their latest animated adventure, Tinker Bell And The Legend Of The Neverbeast (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP). Tink and her bestie Fawn attempt to get to the truth behind the myth of an ancient creature and must protect it from their fellow fairies who fear it will bring nothing but destruction. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Help your preschooler learn the basics with the 3-disc Blue’s Clues: Get Clued Into School Pack (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), featuring Blue’s explorations in the alphabet, shapes & colors, and school.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
The American version is often an over-produced mess, but the original UK version of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) – which finds uber-chef Gordon Ramsay attempting to save failing restaurants often in the face of obstinence and incompetence – is a real gem. Ramsay genuinely tries to help these troubled businesses, and his sound advice is just as engaging as the passion with which he delivers it. Now you can get the entire 8-episode first season of the UK version, and I highly recommend it.
I love gadgets, and tools that feel like gadgets. That’s certainly the case with the Third Hand Adjustable Parts Holder with Magnification ($7.99 SRP). As the overly technical name implies, this weighted stand contains clamps and a magnifying glass, making it perfect for doing close-up work with everything from electronics to painting.
I would have preferred it have been A Shot In The Dark, but I guess the high definition arrival of the original The Pink Panther (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is a good sign that I’ll soon be getting my favorite comedic turn by Peter Sellers as the memorable Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The Blu-Ray edition features an audio commentary with Blake Edwards, and five behind-the-scenes and retrospective featurettes.
Released in separate packages previously, MGM has brought together all 9 volumes Pink Panther cartoons into The Pink Panther Collection (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP). Not only do you get the Panther cartoons, but you also get Depatie-Freleng’s Inspector, Ant & The Aardvark, and The Man cartoons. So, really, the whole shebang, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes, all of the title sequences for the Panther features, an even a tribute to Friz Freleng.
I’m not entirely sure why these DC animated direct-to-DVD titles abandoned the much-refined and wonderful Bruce Timm-syled designs of JLU in favor of clunkier, uglier, more angular designs unless the sole reason was (sad) change for change sake, but that is a major “ugh” point in the not-exactly-stellar animated Wonder Woman (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which finds Princess Diana going up against the evil Ares, God of War. The 2-disc set features an audio commentary, a pair of in-depth documentaries on Wonder Woman and the mythology behind her, a pair of bonus Bruce Timm-chosen JLU cartoons, and a first-look at the upcoming Green Lantern animated movie. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.
Although I find the subject matter interesting, you’ve gotta love a book title like Hippo In A Tutu (Disney Press, $30.00 SRP). The reference is to the “Dance Of The Hours” sequence of Disney’s Fantasia, wherein alligators dance with hippos. The book takes an in-depth look at the role of dance, choreography, and reference for both in the animated films of Walt Disney, and it’s well worth picking up.
Fans have been clamoring for it for years – well, they’ve been clamoring for anything from the band, really – but they’re surely dancing a happy jig at the release of Phish: The Clifford Ball (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP). The 7-disc set features the entirety of the band’s 2-day concert happening held on August 16 & 17, 1996. It’s an incredibly musical document, and now you can have it to play again and again.
Though the stories comprising it are being released separately, the best and easiest way to get the entire arc is to just pick up the Doctor Who: Key To Time Special Edition (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP), as the 7-disc set has got the whole kit and kaboodle. Each disc is like a TARDIS, loaded with the usual complement of commentaries, featurettes, and archive materials.
Not many cartoons can boast a guest turn by Johnny Depp, but a certain spongy yellow character can in the episode collection Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob Vs The Big One (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). In addition to the Depp ep, the disc also sports 6 more, plus an audio commentary and a music video.
You can see every drop of sweat in the new Blu-Ray edition of Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (MGM, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP), and the clarity adds a certain punch to the proceedings. The disc features a trio of audio commentaries, a 4-part feature-length documentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, vintage newsreel footage, and a shot-by-shot comparison of DeNiro & La Motta.
If you’ve got a lot of free time, are really jonesing for the Watchmen movie, and are a huge fan of those late 60’s Marvel cartoons, then you’ll probably want to give a spin to Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which adds motion, voice actors, and sound effects to Dave Gibbons’ original artwork. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available, for those who crave high definition.
If you want to find a little bit more about the author behind Watchmen, V: For Vendetta, From Hell, and League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you can’t do wrong in picking up a copy of the re-released and expanded The Extraordinary Works Of Alan Moore: Indispensable Edition(Twomorrows, $29.95 SRP).
Though my nephews lap it up, I still watch Chowder (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) mainly for the sterling voicework of my erstwhile comedy partner, Dana Snyder, who handles the lumbering, memorable Gazpacho. This second volume contains 5 episodes.
I know it made money. I know that people went to go see it. Intellectually, I know these things. I still can’t rationalize that knowledge into any semblance of an endorsement for Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP). I guess it’s like a latter-day That Darn Cat. But with Chihuahuas. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, an animated short, and bloopers. The Blu-Ray edition ($34.99 SRP) contains additional behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes not on the standard release.
I prefer to believe the awkward director’s cut doesn’t exist, but I did love Donnie Darko (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) when I first saw it, and now you can pick it up in high definition in a 2-disc edition that includes both cuts, audio commentaries, a production diary, featurettes, and more.
Make sure your young ones get to Sesame Street for Elmo & Friends: Tales OF Adventure (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$12.95 SRP), featuring a trio of tales featuring Elmo, Big Bird, and Telly as they go on thrilling adventures in learning. Can you say “Texas Telly and The Golden Triangle Of Destiny”?
Baz Luhrman’s epic story of love between an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) and a rough-&-tumble cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) in the Outback is certainly big and sprawling, but Australia (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is also big and bloated, dragging on and on and on until it just sort of ends. It’s a shame, because there’s a good flick in there someplace. Bonus features include deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
Oh, The Hills (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – how I loathe your very existence. And I don’t know why, exactly, as its existence should not bother me in the least, and shouldn’t even be on my radar. And yet it is. And it does bother me so. For those who are unbothered, the complete 4th season set contains all 20 episodes, plus interviews, deleted scenes, featurettes, photo shoots, and more.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. Every Wednesday, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!
In conjunction with Warner bros. Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) WONDER WOMAN Tiaras in support of the new direct-to-DVD animated movie WONDER WOMAN.
In conjunction with Summit Home Entertainment, we’re giving away one (1) copy of SEX DRIVE on DVD signed by star SETH GREEN, and two (2) unsigned copies to runner-ups.
In conjunction with Warner bros. Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) WONDER WOMAN Tiaras in support of the new direct-to-DVD animated movie WONDER WOMAN.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 18th.
The tiara looks like the one below, and features a light-up star. The WONDER WOMAN animated movie is in stores on March 3, 2009, and you can visit the official website at www.wonderwomanmovie.com.
CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!
Official Rules
No member of Quick Stop Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 18th.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
It was inevitable that there were dark days ahead for its protagonists, but the third season of 
Ten years in the making, Ken Burns & Lynn Novick’s 18-hour documentary treatise on
While bootlegs and original vinyl rips have been floating around the internet for ages, I am giddy beyond measure that we finally have a fully remastered, expanded release of the songs and score to Robert Altman’s unjustly overlooked 
Granted, the Zach Snyder DC superhero films have set the bar ridiculously low, but for all its faults (and there are plenty of faults), director Patty Jenkins’s 
I love it when a book comes out and exhaustively explores a topic that has been oft-overlooked and profoundly underappreciated, and both can certainly be ascribed to the unsung artists chronicled in the exhaustive and engaging 
The cycle of release and re-release is the economic circle of life that Disney has seared in our collective consumer brains for generations, so it should come as no surprise that they’ve released a brand new edition of 
I admit that I had zero expectations for 
You’d think that every nook and cranny of Walt Disney’s history and legacy would have been covered by now, but then along comes a book like 
Featuring 16 episodes from across its 11 seasons, 
And while we’re talking Burnett’s show, while most of the attention went to the always flashy Tim Conway, I think I liked the man he so often tried to crack up more – and who finally gets his proper spotlight with 
As someone who revels in the ability to peek behind the creative curtain, I loved diving into 
Celebrating its 40th anniversary with a collection of 40 short stories seemed like a fun and interesting way to mark the occasion, and 
Geared towards ages 10-and-up, the second volume of Ben Acker & Ben Blacker’s Star Wars: Join The Resistance series, 
In the lead-up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there are quite a few stories being released to fill in some of the canon. Claudia Gray’s novel 
I’ve made it quite clear that I’m a sucker for “Art Of” books, and I would expect 
I remember enjoying watching the show every evening after it made its debut on Nick At Nite, and now I’m just as delighted to be able to watch the glorious comedy time capsule that is 
Both Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron are capable of making funny movies. Some, even unintentionally funny – but funny nonetheless. I don’t know how a meta nostalgia pic like 
Like a long-lost child finally coming home, Mickey’s older sibling was returned back to the Disney company (thanks to some corporate horse trading) and is celebrated in the gorgeous 
The time capsule aspect of the uncut shows released within the ongoing The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$47.99 SRP) is what makes this series, which has been supplemented by a new 6-disc set, so incredibly appealing, with guests like Jack Benny, Dom DeLuise, Burt Reynolds, Paul McCartney, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, and more. Here’s hoping there are more of these lined up. And if that weren’t enough Carson – trust me, there’s never enough Carson – they’re also releasing the 10-DVD 
After the explosive debut of its first season, 
While their theatrical wing flounders from misstep to misfire (save for the glorious exception that is Wonder Woman), the television series based around the superheroics of the DC universe stable are a rather reliable bright spot. With their new seasons on the horizon, catch up on the complete third season of 
For the first time since 1929, the complete, original 10-reel edition of the landmark film 
Guy Ritchie tackling the King Arthur legends? Sure, I’ll watch it. 
While the show as we loved it has now fallen, you can re-live the good times with 
As a Disney fan who still holds a dear place in my heart for films like Mary Poppins and the songs of Disneyland, it’s delightful to watch a documentary featuring one half of the sibling duo responsible for that music, 
The 90s Nickelodeon nostalgia train has pulled into the station with another catalogue dive to delight the now-adult fans of that era – 
While there’s a strong visual flair that’s evocative of the Wachowskis and Ridley Scott, the chief problem with 
When it comes to cult classic comedies, near the top of the list must surely come Bobcat Goldthwait’s alcoholic harlequin masterpiece 
If there’s one element I dearly wish were present for the new animated film set in the Batman: The Animated Series universe, 
Slowly but surely, the high definition releases of 
Walt Disney Records tip-top Legacy Collection continues to roll along with the release of Randy Newman’s score and songs from 
It’s a long, long dry spell until the next season starts, so fill that time with a roll down memory lane with the 2-disc 
In what I can only hope is a precedent they expand upon, the purveyors of preservation at Criterion have released a high definition special edition of producer Franics Ford Coppola’s underrated children’s classic 
Season 7 of 
Bruce Timm returns to the animated DC universe with a far darker alternate universe take on the familiar triumvirate of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in 
After being run out of the city by an invasion of the Krang, our half-shell heroes take back the town in 
It’s Office Space in hell, but the chief reason to recommend the first season of Adult Swim’s 
Adam Goldberg is the titular musician in the midst of a mid-life crisis in 
Who doesn’t love a brilliant and incredibly beautiful BBC nature documentary? Both of those adjectives certainly apply to both 
I thought the film was certainly an improvement over the original trilogy of awful X-Men films, which is not much of an accomplishment, so I was more curious than excited to see what director Bryan Singer had in mind for his 
I can’t quite figure out who the more cartoonish characters are in 
Nicholas Sparks works his soft focus, mealy-hearted magic again with 
It’s impossible – Impossible, I say! – that John Hughes’s 
Following the Krang’s takeover of New York City, the Turtles take refuge in April O’Neill’s family cabin in the woods in 
Shazam! Taking an Andy Griffith Show fan-favorite character and putting him in the military proved comic gold in the long-running spin-off 
The epic arc of Avatar Korra comes to an end in 
The passing of Robin Williams adds a poignancy to 
The modern stone age family meets the modern stone age pastime in 
They’re not my cup of pixie dust, but I know plenty of my friends’ kids adore the denizens of Pixie Hollow, and for them, there’s delight in the arrival of their latest animated adventure, 
Help your preschooler learn the basics with the 3-disc 
The American version is often an over-produced mess, but the original UK version of 
I love gadgets, and tools that feel like gadgets. That’s certainly the case with the 
I would have preferred it have been A Shot In The Dark, but I guess the high definition arrival of the original 
Released in separate packages previously, MGM has brought together all 9 volumes Pink Panther cartoons into 
I’m not entirely sure why these DC animated direct-to-DVD titles abandoned the much-refined and wonderful Bruce Timm-syled designs of JLU in favor of clunkier, uglier, more angular designs unless the sole reason was (sad) change for change sake, but that is a major “ugh” point in the not-exactly-stellar animated 
Although I find the subject matter interesting, you’ve gotta love a book title like 
Fans have been clamoring for it for years – well, they’ve been clamoring for anything from the band, really – but they’re surely dancing a happy jig at the release of 
Though the stories comprising it are being released separately, the best and easiest way to get the entire arc is to just pick up the 
Not many cartoons can boast a guest turn by Johnny Depp, but a certain spongy yellow character can in the episode collection 
You can see every drop of sweat in the new Blu-Ray edition of Martin Scorsese’s 
If you’ve got a lot of free time, are really jonesing for the Watchmen movie, and are a huge fan of those late 60’s Marvel cartoons, then you’ll probably want to give a spin to 
If you want to find a little bit more about the author behind Watchmen, V: For Vendetta, From Hell, and League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you can’t do wrong in picking up a copy of the re-released and expanded 
Though my nephews lap it up, I still watch 
I know it made money. I know that people went to go see it. Intellectually, I know these things. I still can’t rationalize that knowledge into any semblance of an endorsement for 
I prefer to believe the awkward director’s cut doesn’t exist, but I did love 
Make sure your young ones get to Sesame Street for 
Baz Luhrman’s epic story of love between an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) and a rough-&-tumble cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) in the Outback is certainly big and sprawling, but 
Oh, 
